Dreams of Each Other
by CelticRose1
Summary: Loki has been dreaming of a strange Midgardian girl. Sterling Barton has been dreaming of a strange green-eyed boy. What happens when they end up meeting each other in high school? T for future chapters. Slightly OOC. LokiXOC
1. Dreams

**I don't own Avengers, blah, blah, blah. All I own are my OCs. Enjoy :)**

_"Kneel!" Loki screams, pounding his scepter into the ground. He smirks as, row by row, the pathetic Midgardians fall to their knees. His eye twitches as he sees one still standing. A girl, pale skin, purple hair, no more than sixteen in the years of this realm. She stands alone, unafraid, thin arms crossed over her body. He strides towards her, but she stays unmoving. "Do you wish for death, mortal?" he asks softly, bringing the tip of his scepter up to her chin._

_"No," she says, staring at him out of mismatched eyes, challenging him, "No more than you do, but I will die before I kneel to you or any other than the one true God." Loki doesn't break her stare, noting the determination in her._

_"Who are you that you dare defy me?" he challenges. Spreading his arms wide he says, "A more substantial god than the one you mistakenly worship." To try to rattle her he conjures some of his projections. She stays calm, but for a single shining tear on her cheek. "Oh, do you cry mortal, now having seen your error?" he asks, stepping closer, smiling at having won. He raises the scepter to her cheek, catching the tear as it falls._

_"I do not cry for myself," she answers, calm as a still pond, " I cry for you."_

_"What?" he steps back, confused, "Why do you cry for me?" She shakes her head and turns to go. Loki's hand shoots out and grabs her arm. He pulls her back around to face him. "Why do you cry for me, mortal?" he yells at her, losing control "Answer me!"_

Loki wakes with a start. He quickly looks around him to ascertain his surroundings. He breathes a sigh of relief when he sees that he is indeed in his chamber in Asgard. A quick peek through the wall - one of the many things he learned while training in magic - show that the guards were still there. He runs a hand through his long jet hair. "Who is that Midgardian girl?" he whispers to himself. "And why do I keep dreaming of her?" He thinks back to the other dreams he's had with her in them; all of them began with him controlling all the mortals in the area, all the mortals but her. He shakes his head, banishing the thoughts. He begins dressing, choosing a green t-shirt, black jeans, and a pair of Midgardian boots the mortals refer to as Doc Martens. Thor had brought the clothes as a present on his birthday, and so far the quality proved to be adequate, not that he would let Thor know. Loki knocks on his door.

"Speak," one of the guards commands. Loki makes an irritated sound, but stifles it enough to make it sound like a cough.

"I require sustenance and I wish to dine with my - " Loki falters, still unsure what to call the people who had raised him but were of no relation to him.

"Understood. Step away from the door," the same guard replies. Loki complies and begins counting back from twenty. At thirteen the door opens, revealing two guards standing outside.

"Well, I must have earned more of your trust," Loki comments. Seeing the two blank looks from the guards he elaborates, "You opened the door in seven seconds and there are only two of you. Yesterday it took twelve and there was at least twice your number."  
"You have been most compliant and have shown no signs of regression. Thor has convinced the All-father that if it stays this way, then in the next week's time, you shall have no guards," one replies. Loki nods and walks toward the door.

"Shall we go then?" he asks, smiling. The guards look uneasily at each other. "If we do not go soon, Volstagg and Thor will have eaten everything." The guards glance at each other, then gesture for Loki to lead the way.


	2. Brat

Sterling wakes with a start and glances around her room quickly, making sure the boy in her dreams isn't there. Not seeing him, she gets up and stretches, heading towards the bathroom and a nice hot shower. She's had dreams about this boy for the past week or so, always with him dominating a large group of humans somehow, always with her standing alone against him.

"Sterling!" her mom yells, "You up yet?"

"Yeah Mom," she yells back, "Getting in the shower."

"Well hurry, you don't want to be late for your first day of school do you?" her mom nags.

"Mom, it's not that big of a deal" she shouts back, grabbing her towels.

"Sure, sure," her mom yells. Sterling turns on the water - the hotter the better. As she strips, she thinks of the man in her dreams. He was about sixteen, tall, pale, with a shock of long black hair, and the most amazing emerald eyes she had ever seen. A pounding at the door startles her.

"Hurry up in there! I want some hot water too!" her brother, Clint, yells. Sterling rolls her eyes but hurries up. Last time she took all the hot water, Clint used her CD collection for target practice.

"I am! Hold onto your arrows, Legolas!" she shouts back, using Tony's nickname for him. She hears an irritated growl. She finishes fast and wraps a towel around herself.

"Okay, I'm out," she says opening the door, then she stops as she sees Clint and his girlfriend Natasha kissing in the hall.

"She's not supposed to sleep over," Sterling says smiling." Clint groans.

"What do you want in exchange for you not telling Mom?" he asks.

"Drive me to school for the semester?" she asks, grinning.

"Brat," he says, but he nods and heads into the bathroom. She smiles at Tasha as she goes by. Tasha gets a weird look on her face, like she's trying to smile but can't remember how.

"Give me ten minutes to get dressed and I'll create a distraction for you," Sterling whispers to her. Tasha was her favorite of Clint's girlfriends, most of whom were faker than Botox. Tasha was real, even when it made her seem weird.

"Thanks," Tasha whispers back and disappears into Clint's room. Sterling sighs and heads into her own room. She dries off fast and puts on the outfit she had laid out the night before: pink t-shirt with hand-drawn swirly vines she had done herself, her favorite black skirt, and her knock-off Doc Martens. She stuffs her sketchpad, notebook, and assorted pencils into her backpack, grabbing her phone and iPod and shoving them in her pockets. She checks the time, three minutes to go. She scans her jewelry quick, grabbing a glass-bead necklace her aunt had made her and a handful of multi-colored friendship bracelets. She glances in the mirror and runs some gel into her curly purple hair. She heads downstairs and, right on time with Natasha landing in the bushes, slips on one of the steps, sliding very loudly the rest of the way.

"Sterling! Are you okay?" her mom asks as she runs out of the kitchen.

"Yeah, Mom, just tripped over my own feet again," Sterling replies, subtly giving Natasha the all-clear to leave.

"Please be more careful! You've had more than your fair share of trips to the ER," her mom replies, helping her up and heading back to the kitchen.

"Did Ster trip down the steps again?" Clint calls from somewhere upstairs.

"No," Sterling replies indignantly, "I slipped."

"Same difference," he calls back. Sterling shakes her head and follows her mom into the kitchen.

"What's for breakfast?" she asks, looking around for food.

"You teens, always hungry!" her mom exclaims, chuckling, "I made blueberry pancakes."

"Yum!" Sterling says, grabbing a plate, three pancakes, and a fork. Clint appears in the doorway soon after.

"Did I hear pancakes?" he asks hopefully.

"Yes, now eat up or you'll be late!" their mom scolds. They wolf down their breakfast, thank their mom, brush their teeth, and head out the door.

"Hey squirt," Clint says as they climb into his Jeep, "Any of your friends need a ride?"

"Um...no," Sterling says looking at her phone.

"Sweet, just picking up Tasha and then off to school!" he says taking off from the curb. Sterling smiles as she pops in her earbuds and picks a playlist. As they head in the direction of Tasha's house she zones out, only coming to when her brother slams on the brakes in front of the school, having picked up Tasha.

"Hey watch where you're walking!" Clint yells at the two boys who walked in front of the car. The one was tall, muscular, with blond hair and blue eyes, cute, but too averagely good-looking for her. It was the second boy that caught her eye. He was only a bit shorter than the first, but he was much slimmer, long dark hair, pale skin, with a sharp, angular face. It was his eyes that made her start though. They were a brighter green than anyone's she'd seen before, except for - but, it couldn't be. Just then he caught sight of her, and confusion and surprise ran across his face. Clint laid on the horn and the boy directed his attention at him, glaring, then stalking away. Sterling shakes her head, it's probably just a trick of the light or contacts or something. Can't be him. Her brother parks and they all get out. Sterling waves at him and Tasha and heads to her chemistry class.


	3. Midgardian School

**Thanks for the follows/favorites/reviews! Just so y'all know, the first handful of chapters I've pre-written so after those the updates'll be slower. **

**I don't own anything but my OCs!**

"Must we go to this Midgardian school?" Loki asks Thor. Thor smiles.

"Yes brother, it is a good learning experience. Besides, you get to get out of your room for a few months," Thor says, clapping Loki on the shoulder. Loki winces at the force.

"I happen to like my room," he mutters. He and Thor stop when they hear someone yell from a Jeep that came to a halt a few feet from them. Thor smiles, hoping to diffuse the anger, but it just makes the boy behind the wheel scowl darkly at them both. Loki glances at the people in the car, then he quickly focuses when he sees a shock of curly purple hair. "It can't be," he whispers to himself, but even as he says it he sees the familiar mismatched eyes, one the blue-grey of the winter sky, the other a light green with flecks of gold. The boy in the Jeep yells again, and Loki glares quickly at him before going into the school building.

"Here is where we part, brother," Thor says, almost nervously, "Are you sure you'll be alright?" Loki scowls at him and stalks off in what he hopes is the direction of his 'Chemistry' class. It turns out it wasn't, and after wandering lost for five minutes he gets directions from a teacher and finally makes it. He walks in and everything gets quiet.

"Who are you, and why are you late?" the teacher, a fat, balding man, asks.

"Loki Almstedt," Loki says, almost shyly, "I got lost."

"Loki Almstedt, Loki Almstedt," the teacher mumbles, looking at his seating chart, "Oh, yes, you sit in front of Miss Barton," he gestures to the girl with the purple hair from the Jeep. Loki looks quickly away. He starts to walk over to the seat when the teacher grabs his shoulder. "If you're late again without a pass I will write you up." Loki glares at him, wrenches his shoulder away and drops into his seat. The teacher begins to drone about his expectations for the class and what this class will be about. Loki ignores him, pulling out a sketchpad and a pencil. He pauses, concentrating for a minute, staring at the wall. He smirks and touches the pencil to the paper. By the time the class starts wrapping up he has a finished caricature of the Chemistry teacher, whose name he still was unsure of, McHuffin or some other ridiculous Midgardian surname. He smiles content, his drawing captures all of McHuffin's flaws. The bell rings and the students start getting up. Loki looks on for a minute then follows their example. He glances at his schedule, Art in room 46. He nods, determined to get there on time. As he sets off he bumps into the purple-haired girl.

"Sorry," he mutters, and takes off.


	4. Art Class

**See if you can find the hidden Tangled reference ;)**

Sterling looks at the rapidly retreating figure. Even the way he walks is familiar. She shakes her head; it can't be the person from her dreams. She sighs and heads for Art. When she arrives, she sees the boy again. He's sitting at one of the tables, head bent in concentration over his paper and pencils. She jumps when someone calls her name. "Wha-huh?" she asks, still a little out of it.

"I said 'hey, Sterling'," Steve replies, looking at her with concern. Sterling turns around to her best friend and smiles.

"Hi Steve," she says, "Sorry about that, just a little bit tired." Steve gives her a funny look, but accepts it as they sit at one of the tables. "So, how are things with that Peggy girl you were seeing during the summer?" Steve looks down.

"She went back to England. Told me that it was fun but it wasn't gonna work out," he murmurs, still not looking at Sterling. She squeezes his hand.

"Hey, it'll be okay," she says smiling at him. He looks doubtfully at her. "All you need is something to cheer you up! I know, how about laser-tag on Friday? We can invite Tony and Bruce, too!" Sterling starts bouncing with excitement. She hadn't seen her two other friends over the summer due to busy schedules.

"Well," Steve says, unsure. He looks at her eager face and smiles, "I guess it'll be cool to get the gang back together." The teacher shushes them and starts going over the expectations of the class and that sort of stuff. Sterling glances over at the green-eyed boy, and catches him looking at her. They both look quickly away. Sterling pulls out some paper. Drawing always clears her head, helps her to think. She bites her lip, concentrating for a minute, then she smiles and creates several graceful arcs on the paper. As the teacher goes on about classroom procedure, Sterling's arcs resolve into a face. Thin, with sharp bones and shining eyes, a sweep of hair across the forehead. She glances back at the boy, it's a perfect match except for...the nose. She always draws the noses wrong. A few strokes and the mistake is corrected, the mysterious boy's face appearing on the paper. Steve is also drawing. Sterling looks at it, and gasps.

"What?" Steve asks, nervous.

"Steve, that's amazing!" Sterling tells him, punching his arm. She looks at it again, a perfect representation of Big Ben...on fire...dripping blood.

"Kind of disturbing...but awesome!" Steve blushes, running his hand through his hair sheepishly. "Hey, have you seen Bruce? I heard he was supposed to be in this class with us," she continues, changing the topic to save Steve from the bright red he was about to turn.

"Um...I think his mom decided to home-school him, because of his...getting sick so much and you know the whole 'genius' thing," Steve says, rolling his eyes to cover his hesitation. None of them really like talking about Bruce's 'condition'.

"Well what about Tony? He's either as smart or smarter than Bruce and he still goes here," Sterling challenges.

"Yeah, but Tony hates his dad and since his mom had that nervous breakdown..."Steve glances down awkwardly. Sterling could almost swear she saw him turning pink again.

"Oh, right. So what's your next class?" Sterling blushes, she always forgot about that kind of stuff.

"Urg, History with Spaatz," he groans.

"Aww, tough luck, Clint had her when he was in tenth. He said she was brutal," Sterling says, sneaking a look at her schedule. She silently jumps up and down when she sees she has History with Marchelli.

"Well, who do you have?" Steve asks, craning his neck to see.

"Mr. Rogers, Miss Barton, do you have anything you'd like to share with the class?" the art teacher asks, glaring at them. Sterling rolls her eyes. Whatever happened to cool art teachers?

"No ma'am," Steve says nervously, always the gentleman. The bell rings and Steve and Sterling waste no time getting up. Once out of the classroom Sterling snorts.

"'Ma'am'?" she teases.

"Shut up," Steve says, blushing and gently pushing her. He pushes her too hard and makes her bump into - Loki, she thinks. Steve's eyes widen in horror.

"I'm sorry," Sterling says quickly. The boy gives her a quick, strange glance before looking away.

"'Tis fine. No harm was meant and none was given," he mumbles and walks quickly away. Sterling and Steve give each other a look, both shrug and go their separate ways to their next class.


	5. Solder and Air Horns

Loki looks back at the girl before going to his next class, something called 'Robotics'. He gets there to see a wiry boy with a shock of shortish dark hair hunched over something on a table. Curious, Loki inches closer.

"The name's Stark, Tony Stark," the boy says without looking up, "And unless you want me to solder your fingers together I suggest you back up." Loki moves back, unsure how the strange Midgardian managed to sense him.

"Sorry," Loki mumbles. The boy turns, his hair pushed up by a pair of goggles. He smiles.

"No sweat, but I have a very specific personal bubble," he says, lounging back against the table. "So Green Eyes, what's your name?" Loki hesitates

"I promise not to laugh," Tony begs, showing him pleading eyes. Loki smiles.

"My name is," he hesitates again. Tony leans forward expectantly. "My name is Loki, Loki Almstedt. My parents find Norse mythology fascinating." Tony smirks, obviously trying to hold back laughter. Loki looks at him.

"So, your parents named you after the god of lying and mischief?" Tony asks, still trying to not laugh. Loki smiles and nods. "So, Loki, you got a middle name?" Loki gives him a blank look. Tony pauses, thinks a second, and continues, "Like my middle name is Edward." Tony wrinkles his nose when he says his middle name.

"No, I have not a 'middle name'," Loki says suspiciously. Tony starts laughing again and Loki begins turning angrily away, but Tony's hand shoots out to grab his arm.

"Sorry, it's just that you talk like you're reciting Shakespeare," Tony says, looking sincere.

"T'would make sense, English not being my mother tongue my parents had us learn it by reading the works of Shakespeare," Loki tells him, lying gracefully. Tony nods and takes his hand off of Loki's arm. They both sit down as the teacher comes in with an air horn. Loki has no idea what that thing is, but judging by the expression on Tony's face he thought it wise to be quiet. The rest of the kids keep talking and the teacher begins grinning evilly. Tony quickly puts his hands over his ears, gesturing for Loki to do the same. Loki does, just in time because the teacher then pushes the horn, causing a loud** HWWWWWWWWWWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN NNNNNKKKKKKKK** to be produced. Even with his fingers in his ears, the sound startles Loki, making him fall off his chair. Tony starts laughing again but offers a hand to help him up. Embarrassed Loki starts blushing and pushes the hand away, getting up by himself.

"Dude, your hands are cold!" Tony exclaims. Loki glances quickly at his own hands, relieved to see that they were still a pale ivory. He laughs to himself, thinking of the chaos it would have caused if his body had begun to turn blue, as was wont to happen when he lost control of himself.

"Hey, are you alright?" someone asks. Loki looks up and see the teacher, obviously concerned but still smiling at Loki's reaction.

"Yes, I was merely startled," Loki replies, looking down angrily. If Odin hadn't taken most of his powers...

"Sorry about that, I don't like yelling and I have one of the few soundproof classrooms," the teacher says by way of explanation. He smiles again before turning to address the rest of the class. "Well! Now that I have your attention, welcome to Robotics! I am Mr. Hink, your teacher for this course. I would love to jump right into our first lesson, BUT it's a school 'policy' that I go over my expectations and all that boring crap," he pauses and looks around for a minute. Nodding he continues, "First of all, when I stand in the front at the beginning of class, that means that no matter how 'scandalous' it is that Rachel dyed her hair green, you need to shut up and listen." Loki smiles, he can already tell he'll like this teacher. The Stark boy is interesting too, plus the whole mystery surrounding this 'Robotics' thing. As Mr. Hink goes on with the rules, Tony turns back around, focusing on whatever it is on the table in front of him. Loki pulls out a sketchpad and a pencil, quickly zoning out to focus on drawing. As the lines begin resembling a certain face, Loki's brow furrows and he quickly flips the paper over, beginning to draw and ice-dragon. He chides himself, it will never do to keep mooning over this, this Barton girl like some silly love-struck child.

_


	6. Unexpected Meetings

As Sterling sets her stuff down at a desk in History, someone comes up and grabs her from behind. Years of martial arts training and having Clint as a brother take over immediately and before she even thinks about it her would-be 'attacker' is in a headlock. She looks down at the familiar mass of curly brown hair. "Bruce!" she yells, quickly letting him go. The slender boy catches himself and turns around, grinning sheepishly. Sterling hugs him tight before punching him on the arm. "Before you say anything, that was for sneaking up on me. I could have hurt you! Besides, Steve told me that your mom was homeschooling you!"

"Well," Bruce says slowly, adjusting his glasses, "It's been a while since I've had an...and episode, so she said that I can come to school, for now at least. I've been in Fury's office with her all this morning making sure things are sorted out." Ms. Marchelli shushes them so they sit down and pass notes all through class. The girl on the other side of Sterling asks her if she and Bruce are dating. Sterling smiles and shakes her head. No, if Steve is her best friend then Bruce is her brother. She'd grown up with him and had been with him though the difficulties of an abusive father, the confusion he had experienced when he realized he is gay, and when one of his experiments had gone horribly wrong. He'd been there for her too, many more times than she could count, so many sleepless tear-filled nights spent on the phone with him calming her, his hugs as a balm when she was rejected by a crush, a confidante for everything and everything. Bruce pokes her arm and she snaps out of her reminiscing. He looks at her questioningly.

"Sorry, Bruce, just got caught in my own little world," she whispers. He seems pacified so she continues, "So, how are things with you and Tony?" she asks, remembering the crush Bruce had on him last year. His face falls.

"He got back with Pepper over the summer," he mumbles, staring at his pencil.

"Oh, Bruce!" Sterling quietly exclaims, wrapping her arm around his shoulder, "I thought she moved to Portland last year."

"She came back to visit her grandparents. She did leave in July but..."Bruce leaves the end of his sentence hanging. The bell rings and Bruce leaves quickly, but not before Sterling notices that the heart-rate monitor he has to wear is beeping faster than normal. She sighs, boys can be so stupid, particularly hubristic genius boys. She settles her bag on her shoulder and heads for her locker.

"Sterling Barton?" a commanding voice asks. She winces, turning around ending up face to one-eyed face with Principal Fury. She looks for a way out, clenching her fists and smiling. When Fury knows your name it isn't a good thing.

"Yes sir?" she asks casually, trying to mask her quick surveillance of the hallway. No way she can get away without hurting him.

"Come with me," Fury says, catching her eye with a knowing glance. So much for masking her surveillance.

"But why?" she asks stubbornly, "Besides, I have lunch, can't I come after school?"

"Because I say so, and no you cannot come after school. Just bring your lunch bag with you," he says firmly. She sighs loudly and quickly begins opening her locker, deciding that she does not want to wonder how Fury knows she packed lunch today. Once it's open she takes her time getting getting her lunch bag...come to think of it she can't remember having put it in there. Fury begins tapping his foot and, having no other reason to be in her locker she closes it and follows the principal to his office. "So," he says, sitting down at his desk and gesturing for her to sit in the chair opposite him, "Do you know why you're here?" Sterling cocks her eyebrow at him.

"Yes," she deadpans, "Obviously you're lonely and so randomly picked a student to talk to during their lunch hour. Of course I don't! It's the first day of school, even I haven't had time to do anything." She shuts her mouth quickly. No need to remind the principal of her record of getting into fights with people. Mostly bullies, but the odd smart-ass who made a crack about her being a 'ninja-cheerleader'. Not to mention the pranks she and Clint would pull, not that there was any proof it was them, but she knew the principal had his suspicions.

"Don't use that tone, young lady," Fury glares at her, "I wanted to talk to you about your friend Bruce." Sterling's rebellion leaves her quickly and she slumps back in the chair.

"Did he- did he have another episode?" she asks hesitantly. It's been almost a year since Bruce last...

"No, but it was close," Fury says quietly, "And he's in the nurses' office, won't move, won't speak, other than to say your name and Tony Stark's. We asked if he wanted to see either of you two, he chose you. Will you go see him?" In those sentences Sterling sees very clearly how much Fury cares about his students.

"Of course sir," she says, "Can I pick up Bruce's lunch? He's gonna be hungry. Also I may need to be-" Fury cuts her off.

"It's all been arranged, he already has his lunch and you're both excused from your classes until he's feeling better," he says, motioning her out the door.

"Sir," she says, turning to look back at him before heading to the nurse, "Please don't tell his mom, things'll just get worse." She heads off before he can say anything.


	7. Brief Interruption in the Story

**So, I've been a bad writer/fanfic-er/whatever and I haven't been thanking y'all for the reviews/faves/follows, so thank you to:**

**kickstand75 (clever play on your name by the way), Hufflepuff Hex, and RogueandRemyForever for the reviews;**

**kickstand75, SkittlesShadukeXD, RogueandRemyForever, and Aya Ayame for the follows;**

**and kickstand75, SkittlesShadukeXD, Hufflepuff Hex, and Alice. for the faves!**

**Also, Hufflepuff Hex found the reference: it was the nose! (They could never get Flynn/Eugene's nose right.)**

**I'll post two more chapters tomorrow if I have time, promise :)**


	8. To the Library!

Loki sees Thor standing outside the cafeteria and tries to sneak away, maybe to the library, he isn't really hungry and all the books...but his fantasy is blown to bits when he hears the loud shout of Thor's "Brother!" Loki winces, still looking for a way out as Thor's hand clamps down on his shoulder. "Shall we not enjoy some Midgardian sustenance?"

"First, I am no brother of yours," Loki hisses quietly, "Second, do refrain from shouting as I am right here. Third, I would greatly appreciate it if you were to remove your hand from my shoulder," Loki pointedly stares at the offending hand. Thor quickly complies with a hurt look. "And lastly, do not refer to this realm as Midgard unless you wish to 'blow our cover' as I believe the phrase goes," Loki says, ignoring Thor's wounded look.

"I only wished to spend this midday meal with you, br-" Thor starts, but he quickly checks himself.

"Maybe another time, Thor, today I do not feel the need to eat and there is a room here I wish to explore further. I shall see you after school," Loki says, softening a bit. For all the iciness he puts on, Loki really does love his adopted brother. It pains him to see Thor looking so lost and sad, but he can't give in now that he has just given Thor such a hard time. Thor nods slowly and heads off to join a short brunette girl, and even shorter redhead, and a wiry sandy-haired boy. Loki turns quickly, hoping Thor hadn't seen his smile, for he is happy to see that his brother has made some friends. When Loki reaches the library he pauses, running his hand through his hair, sending a pair of girls across the hall into a fit of giggles. Loki snorts as he pushes the door open, some of these Midgardian girls are so...air-headed. Seeing no one else around, Loki stops, absorbing the familiar smells of paper, ink, and dust; the sounds of the electricity humming in its wires; and the sight of row after row of books. A small smile plays across his lips as Loki wanders through the shelves, grabbing random books off the shelves that pique his interest. Having gathered an armful he ensconces himself in a corner, his long legs spread out in front of him, ankles crossed, back against a bookshelf. He picks a book from the pile at random and loses himself to the words. He manages to finish all the books he picked out by the time the bell rings. He gets up fluidly, putting books away as he leaves, heading out the door to the Gymnasium, for "Physical Education" with Mr. Coulson.

_


	9. Dimples

Sterling spends all of lunch with Bruce in the nurses' office, eventually getting him back to normal. She gets him to eat a little, knowing he uses a lot of energy containing...what he calls "the Other Guy". She checks both of their schedules quickly, Phys. Ed. with Coulson next. She wonders what Bruce'll do, certainly not what everyone else is going to be doing. She shudders, thinking of how disastrous that would be. She lets go of all that fear as she and Bruce link arms and head to the gym. It's nothing she needs to worry about today, they wouldn't even be changing, which will give Bruce time for his mom to write a note explaining why he can't participate, unless Fury had already taken care of that. That man knew everything about everyone, including what had happened with Bruce. He reminds her of the mysterious Director of S.H.E.I.L.D... couldn't be though. Why would he be a high school principal? She and Bruce get to the gym quickly and find seats on the bleachers, high enough up to see everyone else, talking until the teacher comes. "Hey, Sterling," Bruce says, poking her. She smacks his hand lightly.

"What?" she asks.

"Thanks for being there and everything," he says quietly.

"That's what best friends are for," she tells him, hugging him tightly. He smiles and his dimples show, making her laugh.

"What?" Bruce asks nervously, glancing around.

"Nothing, I just love your dimples," Sterling says, looking at the rest of the class. She freezes when she sees a tall, pale boy with long ebony hair. He's leaning against the wall by the door. Almost as if he can sense someone watching him, he starts looking up. Sterling looks away quickly, wishing for the first time that her hair isn't such a vibrant color. Bruce looks at her, then looks in the direction she had been facing. Catching sight of the boy, he smiles mischievously.

"He's cute," he tells her, trying to be nonchalant. Sterling looks at him. He shrugs, "Those cheekbones, the vibrant green eyes, he's obviously fit, even though he's thin. Plus, he can pull off the long hair."

"New crush, Banner?" Sterling teases.

"Nope, just observing," Bruce says, stretching lazily "He's a little too, angsty-punk for me." He blushes as he sees Tony walk, no, saunter in. Sterling waves him over, ignoring Bruce's death glares. She pales as Tony motions for Loki to follow him.

"Bruce, Sterling," Tony says in greeting, "This is-"

"Loki," Sterling interrupts, extending her hand to cover up her momentary shock. Loki looks at her, confused, before sitting on a seat below her, next to Tony.

"So...how-" Tony starts before Sterling interrupts him again.

"We have Chemistry and Art together," she replies, somewhat irritated. This Loki boy is strange, and rather rude. Tony glares at her, huffing and crossing his arms over his chest. She smirks at his annoyance, he hates being interrupted, the little egomaniac. Mr. Coulson comes in, blowing his whistle shortly to get the class's attention. Everyone gets quiet and sits down.

"Alright, welcome to Physical Education, I am your teacher Mr. Coulson, not Mister, not Coulson. Mr. Coulson," he pauses, staring at everyone. "I'll call role and then you all will come down to do a simple physical. So: Almstedt, Loki." Loki raises his hand. Coulson nods in acknowledgement and continues. He finishes quickly and everyone files down to the gym floor.

"Hey, Mr. Coulson," one student calls, "What're we doing for this physical?"

"Measuring height, weight, eyesight, blood pressure, that kind of stuff," Mr. Coulson answers, looking at his clipboard, "Almstedt, Loki and Banner, Bruce, you two come with me. There's a different physical for you." Bruce looks at Sterling nervously before joining Loki and Coulson. One of the school nurses starts handing out slips of paper and pencils. As per the nurse's directions, Sterling jots down her name and grade on the paper, doodling in the margins absent-mindedly.

"Okay," the nurse says, clapping her hands, "We'll go alphabetically, once one station opens up, go to the next and so on. Let's get started!"

_


	10. Unique Situations

Loki follows the Banner boy and Mr. Coulson, who looks as if he'd make a better secret agent than a teacher. Bored, he begins running through the etymology of the word 'banner'. Banner - noun, origin: Middle English banere, from Anglo-French, of Germanic origin; akin to Gothic bandwo - sign; probably akin to Greek phainein - to show. First use: 13th century. Coulson is still walking, so Loki pulls out a permanent marker, something Frigga had gotten him for an as-yet unknown reason. He uncaps it and begins drawing designs on his right arm, designs reminiscent of the runes he has on his armor. He feels so, exposed without his armor, especially with his limited magic. He almost bumps into Banner while thinking, but manages to stop just in time. Bruce looks back, but Loki manages to lean against a nearby wall before he can see. Coulson snaps his fingers, getting Bruce's attention immediately. Loki looks at him out of the corner of his eye.

"I want you both to know right now that I am one of the very few people who know about your unique...Situations," Coulson tells them, staring them both down, "Due to your situations we have set up special tests for you two. Nothing strenuous," with this Coulson looks at Bruce, "blood pressure standards have been adjusted as well as those for body temp," a look at Loki, "and eyesight. Questions?" Loki and Bruce shake their heads, so Mr. Coulson motions for them to open an unmarked door. Loki's senses automatically heighten and he quickly replauus the route out of here, just in case. There are two nurses, both at tables with several, interesting Midgardian instruments on and around them. One nurse waves him over, the other motions for Bruce.

"I understand that you are prepared?" Loki asks. The nurse nods.

"I have been given a separate chart of physical standards for you, and I realise that if you start turning blue that it is nothing to be worried about or afraid of," she tells him calmly, but Loki can tell her hands are shaking. He smirks, and, following her directions, takes off his shoes and stands against a ruler mounted on the wall.

"Unless I become unconscious, experience extreme emotion, or have too little energy to maintain this form, I will remain the color I am now," Loki tells her as she finishes filling in his chart. She smiles at him, still nervous, but much more relaxed now that nothing strange has happened.

"You can go now, just have your parents sign this and give it to the main office ASAP," she tells him, handing him a sheet of paper. He nods and heads back towards the gym, holding back his instinct to respond by saying he doesn't have parents.

"Hey, wait up!" a quiet voice calls after him. Loki pivots quickly to look at the source of the sound. It is the Banner boy, hopping from one foot to the other as he tries to pull his shoes on. Loki sighs, rolling his eyes and leaning against a wall, but he waits. The shorter boy almost jogs to catch up. "Thanks," he says to Loki, his smile lighting up his eyes.

"'Tis no trouble," Loki murmurs awkwardly, shoving his hands into his jeans pockets, "You are named Bruce, correct?" Bruce raises his eyebrow and nods.

"You talk-" Bruce begins, but Loki cuts him off.

"As if I were quoting Shakespeare, yes, your friend Tony has informed me of this," Loki says, annoyed. He notices patches of red appearing on Bruce's face at the mention of Tony. Fascinating. He begins walking again, his longer stride making Bruce have to settle into an awkward walk-run-walk pace to keep up. Bruce smiles ad chatters, seemingly unaffected by Loki's rudeness and covering up for the blush that he had obviously not wanted Loki to see.

_


	11. Angry Midget

Sterling sits in a corner, doodling after her physical finished. She's content with her results of 20/20 vision, 5'6", and 137 lbs. She knows Clint would tease her about being chubby if he were here, but she knows that most of that weight is muscle. She quickly jumps into a fighting stance as something -THUMPS- onto the floor next to her, but equally quickly relaxes when she sees it's just Tony, who had thrown himself face-down on the floor and was now muttering to himself. She pokes him to make sure he's okay, well, as okay as Tony Stark can get. "Hey, Tony," she says, still prodding him with her pencil, "You still alive?" He tilts his head to glare at her. "Didn't grow, did you?" she asks, grinning.

"Pretty much," he says, rolling over to face the ceiling.

"Come on, 5'7" isn't that short," she says, still smirking.

"Yeah well it's not that tall either," he says petulantly, "Besides, my mom to me to a growth doctor or some shit like that, and he said that it's unlikely that I will get any taller than this."

"So? Bruce is even shorter than you," Sterling says, trying to cheer her friend up.

"Yeah, but he's adorable so it works, on me it makes me look like an angry midget," he declares crossly. Sterling raises an eyebrow at his use of 'adorable' to describe Bruce. Maybe he did have a shot with Tony. "Besides, no one's gonna tease him for being short with that giant green rage monster in him."

"Shhhhh!" Sterling hisses, clapping a hand over Tony's mouth, "No one's supposed to know about that!" Tony raises his hands in mock horror, wincing when Sterling slaps his arm.

"Okay, okay! Sorry!" Tony says, sitting up to fend off any more attacks, "Oh, hey look! Bruce and Loki! Let's go say hi!" Tony says, scrambling to his feet. Sterling can be vicious when she wants to be. Lucky for Tony, she doesn't want to be. Smiling, she gets up and strolls over, stopping in surprise to see Loki walking over to her.

"Miss Barton," Loki says slowly, "I apologise for my rudeness earlier. I do ask for your forgiveness." With that he lifts her hand to his lips and kisses it gently. Sterling fights the red threatening to color her cheeks.

"Apology accepted, I forgive you," she tells him, happy with herself for not tripping over her words. Bruce was right, he is cute, all sharp angles except for the soft curve of his lips, and his eyes are hauntingly beautiful-Sterling makes herself sneeze to disrupt that train of thought, she has no time to be 'falling in love'. She doesn't believe in being in love. But that shy smile he gives her threatens to melt her heart. But no - love is for children, as Tasha says whenever Clint tells her he loves her, not future SHIELD agents. She, Natasha, and her brother have been training for this since childhood. She's not about to let this new boy wreck her plans. "So, how are you liking this school?" she asks, not betraying the battle between her heart and her mind.

"'Tis strange, after having been taught by my mother. So many people, strange classes," Loki answers as they walk over to Bruce and Tony who are discussing...something science-y.

"What's your favorite part?" Sterling asks,, mentally taking notes. Well adjusted for being home-schooled.


	12. Evil History Teachers and Pop Tarts

"The library," Loki answers unhesitatingly. The Barton girl- Sterling, yes that is her name, Sterling- gives him a surprised look. "You did not think me the kind to find pleasure in books?" he asks her, glancing quickly at her face. She really is quite beautiful, those expressive eyes that can never settle on one color, her pale skin dusted with a summer's worth of freckles- he runs his hand through his hair, annoyed at himself. Love is for children and fools.

"Well," Sterling says and Loki brings himself back out of his mind, "No, I guess not. Most people don't read anymore. I mean, I do, but most of the people I know don't." Oh, Odin she is adorable when she rambles, Loki thinks.

"Ah, well, that is a sad circumstance," Loki says, "Books are the gateways to the unknown, vehicles for the mind, food for the soul." He blushes when he sees Sterling looking at him open-mouthed.

"Wow, Loki, that was beautiful," she says quickly, recovering once she sees his reaction. He smiles, looking at her through his long lashes, something he's perfected even though he stands several inches taller than most people. Sometimes he does appreciate his Jotun blood.

"'T'was nothing compared to the great masters of word-smithing," Loki replies modestly. Honestly, he hadn't even thought about what he was saying.

"Hey lovebirds!" Tony calls, making Sterling and Loki blush, "Brucey-boy told me about Steve's idea about going lazer-tagging. Wanna come?" Sterling nods, but Loki reluctantly shakes his head.

"My family is still settling into our residence, so I must decline," he tells them. With that the bell rings and Loki sets off for History. Tony follows.

"Seems like you're stuck with me for another class, Green-Eyes, Tony quips, bouncing merrily along.

"You seem to possess excessive amounts of energy for someone your size," Loki tells him, already tiring. He had not received enough sleep the night before, and Volstagg and Thor had indeed consumed most of the food before he had arrived. He regrets skipping the midday meal now. Tony stops and glares at him.

"Don't call me short," he says menacingly.

"My current height is six feet two inches, most people appear short to me," Loki says simply. Tony glares at him again, but starts walking again regardless.

"So how come you had to get special testing?" Tony asks, fiddling with his watch.

"I have a certain," Loki says cautiously, "condition, I believe you would call it." Tony glances up at him, clearly not believing Loki, but a holographic diagram is projected from the watch face and he turns his attention back to that. Loki looks closer, noticing that it looks like the device the Midgardians call a 'generator'. They reach their history class where the teacher sternly seats them on opposite sides of the classroom, giving Loki no chance to ask Tony more about his curious watch.

"My name is Mrs. Spaatz and I will not tolerate any note passing, whispering, giggling, or doodling," she says, glaring at Loki, who had just started drawing. He sets down his pencil and looks up at her innocently. "Mr. Almstedt, it is unwise to get on my bad side, especially on the first day of school," she almost growls at him.

"I was unaware as to your dislike of doodling," he tells her, shrugging, "I will not be caught doing it again in this class."

"Detention for your smart mouth," she says, turning red.

"I am unable to attend for I have an unavoidable obligation immediately after school today. Might I come tomorrow?" Loki asks, trying to control his anger. This woman irks him so, he wonders if she would be so irritating if he froze her eyebrows off...

"What sort of 'obligation', Mr. Almstedt?" she demands, clearly not believing him.

"It is of a personal matter that I would rather not speak of in front of the entire class," he says, ice creeping into his voice. He quickly looks down to see that the very tips of his fingers are starting to turn blue. He quickly presses the button on the wrist cuff he was given for just such times as this.

"Loki Almstedt, please report to the principal's office. Loki Almstedt, please report to the principal's office," announces a voice from what Loki assumes is the PA system he was told about. He grabs his bag, nods at Tony, and walk out of the classroom, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"We are not done, Mr. Almstedt!" Mrs. Spaatz shrieks after him. He rolls his eyes and keeps walking.

"Loki," a familiar voice says as a hand clamps on his shoulder, "You are going the wrong way."

"Apologies, Mr. Coulson. I am still learning to navigate this building," Loki says, trying to keep his mind off the history teacher. Coulson nods and guides Loki to the principal's office, arriving faster than Loki thought they would.

"So," a formidable black man with an eye-patch says, "Why are you here?"

"That's Dire-, er Principal Fury," Coulson whispers. Loki nods, pulling his hands out of his pockets. His fingers had turned entirely blue and the color is slowly creeping up his hands. Fury looks at it impassively, but Coulson's eye get bigger every second.

"I need only time to calm myself, and if possible, sustenance. I foolishly thought I would not need it so I, 'skipped' the midday meal to explore the library," Loki tells them, fiddling with his wrist cuff.

"What kind of food?" Fury asks.

"Fruit, vegetables," Loki says shrugging, "No meat." Fury raises an eyebrow. "Due to my abilities with magic I am more sensitive to the life-forces of animals. It also...interferes with my system. Magic and animal products are an...unstable mixture to say the least." Fury nods and motions for Coulson to leave. He rummages in a small metal and plastic...thing that hums soothingly and a cabinet above it, pulling out a familiar-looking cardboard box.

"You eat Pop Tarts?" Fury asks, pulling out a silvery wrapper, "The sugar'll do you some good."

"Yes, my brother has brought them back from this realm and I have found them to be acceptable," Loki says, catching the packet as Fury tosses it over his shoulder.

"You can stay here if you want, or you can go through that door," Fury gestures to a door at Loki's left, "There is a sound-proofed room that you can meditate in." Loki inclines his head in gratitude, heading for the door. He pauses.

"Many thanks. I ask forgiveness for any inconvenience I may have caused for you," he says softly, "I would like to be changed to a different History class, if that would be possible, in order to prevent more episodes such as this."

"I'll see what I can do," Fury says, nodding and sitting down. Loki heads through the door, just missing the small smile Fury gives him.


	13. Curiouser and Curiouser

Sterling says goodbye to Bruce as he heads for...some science course. More than likely it's just gonna be him in a lab or the library doing some experiment or research. Genius boy. She looks at her schedule again, English with...Ms. Hill! She smiles, Clint told her that she's an awesome teacher, and he absolutely hates English. She sees a familiar blond headed for the same classroom and grabs him. "Hey, Steve!" she says. He looks startled for a second before a smile slips onto his face.

"Hey, Sterling. Anything exciting happen yet?" he asks, slipping a sketchpad into his messenger bag. Only Steve could pull off a messenger bag without being made fun of.

"Um...Bruce almost had an episode, but he didn't. Tony went drama-queen when he found out he stopped growing..."she says, pretending to think hard, "And...that's it so far. What about you? How was Spaatz?" Steve pulls a face. "That bad?"

"Worse," he tells her as they sit down in the class. There's still time and the teacher hasn't shown up yet so they keep talking.

"Aww, come on, she can't be that horrible," she says. He pulls another face.

"She almost gave me detention for doodling, before she even told us that it wasn't allowed," he says, already sounding exasperated, "Then she yelled at this other kid for using the wrong thickness of lead in his mechanical pencil." Sterling gives him her I-don't-believe-a-word-you're-saying look. "It's true!" Steve insists.

"Okay," Sterling says, poking him to let him know Ms. Hill just walked in.

"Good day, class. I am Ms. Hill," the teacher says, "I will be your English teacher for the next year. I want you all," she pauses to look slowly at everyone, "to understand that while I won't tolerate any disrespect or rule-breaking, I will be fair and I'll try to be fun, when it is appropriate." Sterling smiles, Ms. Hill already sounds awesome. Suddenly the PA system comes on.

"Loki Almstedt, please report to the principal's office. Loki Almstedt, please report to the principal's office," the voice of the...head secretary Sterling thinks, says. Steve looks at her, but she ignores his confused look, trying to think of how, and why, Loki got sent to the principal's office. He seemed like a nice boy...Ms. Hill claps her hands and just about the whole class jumps.

"So, I will be telling you what my expectations are and so on, but feel free to zone out because I have it on paper," she says, "I'm only saying this because I am required to by Di-, er, Principal Fury." Sterling catches Ms. Hill's slip-up and it sets her thinking. What if...the school did have a different principal last year before Bruce's accident. Coulson and Ms. Hill arrived around that time, too...Coincidence? Sterling smiles, she doesn't believe in coincidences. Glancing at Steve, who is engrossed in drawing what looks like a super hero costume, she pulls out her own sketchpad and pencil. For the rest of the class she pretty much zones out, getting lost in drawing. When the bell rings she looks at the fantasy-land she's drawn, a castle floating in the sky connected to the Earth by a rainbow. She and Steve head for Geometry, soon joined by Bruce and Tony, who are deep in discussion over some blueprint Tony has projected from his watch-face.

"Hey, Tony," she says, poking him to get his attention. He looks at her startled. "What happened with Loki?"

"Um...not sure, I mean the teacher was getting on his case for something really stupid, then he got called to the principal's office," Tony says, shrugging. His eyes dart around before he grabs her shoulder, pulling her ear closer to his mouth. He whispers, "And I think I saw his fingers start turning, well, blue!" Sterling pulls back, giving him a quizzical look. "I'm telling the truth, before he left he was shoving his hands in his pockets, but I managed to catch a glimpse of his fingers before he did and they were," he gives her a look. She nods, adding that to her mental profile of Loki. This boy keeps getting curiouser and curiouser.

_

**Hi! Sorry I hadn't updated this in a long time, so to make up I gave you *counting* 4 new chapters! Please don't be angry. *cowers, peeking out from beneath fingers* So um, I'm not sure when I'll be able to update this one next, I'm having a bit of writer's block on this story plus I'm gonna be out-of-state visiting family, so I'm not sure when I'll be able to get online, but if you want you can check out my other fics. Love y'all and have a Merry Christmas or whatever you celebrate. 3**


	14. Author's Note

Hey guys, sorry it's been long time no update but the computer that I use (this one is my mom's) doesn't like this site so I'm gonna be moving this story over to Archive of Our Own and finishing it there. I really am sorry it took so long, but I'm just about done with the next chapter or so and they'll be up soon. Check my profile for the username to look for, or just look for this title in the next day or so. Have a great day and DFTBA!

~Jess


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